Tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of Mexico and Cuba as Ida rapidly gains strength over Caribbean waters.
Hurricane specialist John Cangelosi with the National Hurricane Center says all residents of the northern Gulf Coast should monitor the progress of Ida over the next few days.
"There's going to be a lot of wind regardless of exactly where it goes," Cangelosi told WWL First News.
A tentative forecast track from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami shows the storm could hit the U.S. Gulf Coast next week.
Listen to the Hurricane Center's John Cangelosi talk about Ida:
A hurricane watch was also issued for part of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
According to Cangelosi, forecasters are uncertain about the eventual path of Ida after the storm gets into the southern Gulf of Mexico.
"At this point we're thinking it's going to head..in the direction of the north Gulf coast, but we still don't have a high amount of confidence in that," he said.
The warnings were issued for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba. A tropical storm warning was also in effect for Grand Cayman Island.
Ida, which packed winds of 60 mph as of midday Saturday, is expected to approach the Yucatan Channel on Sunday.
The storm is moving toward the north at about 9 mph, centered about 255 miles southwest of Cozumel, Mexico.
For the latest on Ida's track, click the following link to go to WWL's Hurricane Central page:
www.wwlhurricanecentral.com/
E-Mail Story
Print Story
